Love equals danger
by Bitchy Princess
Summary: Alex's picked up from the sea by exclusive billionaire Hailey Gardin. Living with her to avoid MI6, an unexpected foe comes to settle tabs with him. Mix in romance, suspision and unlimited cash. Alex is on yet another mission... This time to save his love
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This story is up again! I made some changes to the language and stuff. Hope its better... Enjoy!**

**...~~~...~~~...~~~...**

Somewhere in space, precariously close to the sun, Alex Rider was cramped in a space capsule and silently counting down to the explosion that would – hopefully- blast Drevin's stupid space hotel into small enough chunks of useless metal that could be disintegrated the moment it reached the earth's atmosphere.

Now the only problem was whether _he _would be fried as well…

--

Unaware to the dangers of which a certain teenage spy was fretting over, 13 year old Hailey Gardin was enjoying herself aboard her private yacht.

"_Rosalind_!" Whined Hailey. "Five more minutes!"

"Miss Hailey that was what you said five minutes _ago_." Rosalind replied, her lips pursed. "Your father is coming back from his business trip to Tokyo today. You are expected to be well dressed and to be home by five. Which is an hour and a half from now," She finished with a look at her watch.

"Fine," said Hailey, as she gracefully pulled herself out of the pool. "But _honestly_," she continued, but this time in an all-too-proper English accent, mocking her maid in waiting. "You think my father cares if I welcome him home or not?" She then grabbed her bathrobe off the deck chair and wrapped it around herself. She stood up straight and tossed her wet hair, then placed the back of her hand on her forehead and dramatically said in a breathless voice, "I am leaving now."

Rosalind made a tutting sound then walked away.

Losing most of her drama-queen attitude, Hailey walked over to the side of the huge yacht. "You think my father cares if I even existed?" A thick layer of tears swam over her hazel brown eyes. "You think my father _knows_ I even exist?"

Being a billionaire's daughter had pros and cons too…

Her sharp gaze swept over the horizon, taking in the breath taking view. But something caught her attention. It looked like… A boy!

--

Stupid CIA. Stupid MI6. Stupid Blunt. Alex Rider cursed every single thing that had led up to his latest mission. The pull of gravity felt so wrong, even though he was only in space for that short period of time. He had thrown up twice into the sea. And had forced himself to swim away from that area. But his body was not used to pulling its own weight after so long, and his legs were cramping. Already he felt exhausted.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up…

"Rosalind! ROSALIND!"

"Yes Miss Hailey?" Rosalind said through gritted teeth as she appeared in a flash, just as she was trained to.

"I told you," The daughter of the billionaire said, taking off her bathrobe. "Its just Hailey. Anyway," she said climbing over the railing." I see someone down there. Get a rope, and a couple of guys to pull us up."

"No! Wait-" The maid objected, but Hailey had already dived skillfully into the ocean.

Rosalind sighed. Hailey could be horribly irritating, but she still had a good heart. She puller out her walkie-talkie and screamed bloody murder into it, summoning every hand on deck. Immediately, she heard footsteps…

Hailey broke through the surface of the water and, performing a perfect freestyle, made her way over to the mysterious boy.

--

Alex was ready to give in to his fatigue and his head just passed below the surface of the water when Hailey reached him. Supporting his body with hers and placing his head on the area of her collarbone, she slowly kicked back towards the yacht. The captain had switched off the engine and the yacht was stationary.

Hailey managed to kick their way to the side of the yacht, but it was tiring work. She had to support them both, and her well-toned muscles were already screaming.

"He's unconscious," she yelled to the crewmembers that were at the side of the yacht, dangling a life buoy towards her. They then pulled it back up and disappeared.

Oh, hurry up and think of a freaking idea, she thought.

After several minutes, many more of the crewmembers appeared and they slowly lowered Hailey's abseiling equipment towards her.

"Genius," she said under her breath.

She secured the locks and gears before letting go of the mysterious boy and looking heavenward and yelling "up!" The men jerked the rope towards them and she was relieved of her load. She took a deep breath before going underwater and floating just beneath the surface, resting her legs. Then, rising up again, she grabbed hold of the rope offered to her and shouted, "pull!"

Hailey grabbed hold of the railing then let go of the rope. She climbed over and landed lightly on her feet.

The next thing she knew, she was surrounded by her ever-loyal friends/servants. After insisting she was fine, she asked for the boy.

He was laid on the floor and was thankfully breathing. He had taken off his shirt before losing consciousness, and only had on a pair of dark gray pants. Taking in his six-pack and his gorgeous sandy brown hair, she found him closer to the man than the child that he once was. She turned to her crewmembers and asked for a volunteer.

"Bathe him and change him," she ordered. "But first, could you please run his finger-prints?" Nodding, he walked away with the boy in his arms.

The crowd soon dispersed and she turned to her best friend (or enemy, depending on how you looked at it) and said, "I am sorry, ok? But there was a life at stake."

Rosalind nodded with a smile and went to carry out the rest of her duties.

--

Alex opened his eyes and looked around him. Realizing he was lying down, he quickly sat up and took in his surroundings.

He was in _the_ most luxurious bedroom he had ever seen. With the magnificent double doors, the thickly carpeted floor, gorgeous handmade wood closet, the view outside the window he could see when he looked to his left, the wonderfully soft king sized bed he was sitting on, the hand stitched comforter resting on top of him, and even the size of the room, this could have been a picture straight out of Home magazine!

Wait… was he wearing anything? Alex quickly looked down and found, to his relief, that he was wearing pajamas. Silk by the touch of it. He sniffed his hand. Soap. He wondered who had bathed then changed him.

Weary, Alex was about to get out of bed and try the door to check if it was locked when a knock sounded.

Rearranging is legs beneath the comforter so he was able to roll off the bed and into a combat stance quickly, he said, "Come in."

The magnificent double doors opened to a girl about his age, or perhaps a year younger than him. At fist glance, she was completely ordinary.

She was about his age, perhaps a year younger. Her hair was light and straight, stopping short four inches below her shoulders. It was layered so they flew up slightly, giving it a neat sort of flyaway, bouncy look to it. Her dark eyes were normal. So was her complexion with little or no pimples. Her waist was rather small. She was curvy, he would say, for her age. Maybe that part wasn't so normal. But besides that, she was just ordinary.

But it was the way she walked towards him, knowing her every move. Head and shoulders held high. She seemed to be radiating confidence. Or the way she smiled at him. Brightening the whole room up. Or the way she sat in the armchair, sure of her actions. Or the way she asked him how he was doing, making him relax, but yet disabling his ability to speak.

"Relax Alex! I'm not going to kill you." She said with a he smile, showing off her perfect teeth.

Alex found his voice and asked, "Who are you? How do you know my name? …Are you with Drevin?" He asked as an after thought.

"It is not an interesting story, just so you know."

"I don't really care." Alex replied, desperate for answers.

"Ok. Oh, and before I begin. My name is Hailey. Hailey Gardin." Alex was about to interrupt, but she beat him to it. "Yes, my father is the all so famous billionaire. Ricky Gardin, who owns the company named H G co., which manufactures computers. My initials. He renamed it when I was born, in my honor." She said with a small smile.

Alex raised his eyebrows. Billionaire! That explained the luxurious room.

"So, erm… I was on my yacht yesterday when I saw you in the water. So I went down to get you, obviously I couldn't just leave you there. A couple of the crewmembers pulled you up onto the deck. I had one of them bathe and change you then run your prints. I couldn't bring just anyone into my home… Hope you don't mind… About the bathing thing, you were kind of spotted in blood."

"You… you risked your life for me." Alex was a bit surprised. This was a far cry from Fiona Friend.

"Erm, yes? Kinda…" Hailey blushed slightly. Alex registered that she was rather shy though out spoken at the same time. Was that even possible? He wondered.

"What do you know about me?"

"Everything. The MI6 were spying on you. So… hold on."

She then left through the doors again, but to reappear only moments later holding a thick file. Returning to her seat, she started reading. "In summary, you were blackmailed to join MI6. You have been on seven missions. But you know all about that, so I don't have to say. Trained with SAS. You had a relationship with a girl named Sabina Pleasure…"

Alex frowned at the intimate details MI6 had dug out about him, scowling at certain things about him and Sabina he'd prefer kept between the two of them only.

"Your favorite dessert is vanilla ice cream and you sleep mostly without your shirt on." She concluded.

"They… they've been spying on me?"

"Well, yes… B.T.W, I think your life sucks too. No fourteen year old should have done all that... " She said with a sympathetic smile.

"Your eyes scare me," she added in a soft tone.

"Sometimes, I scare myself too…" Alex said mostly to himself, biting his lip…

At that precise moment, Alex's stomach let out an embarrassingly loud low growl. Hailey nervously laughed out loud and said. "You need lunch. I'll get you some spaghetti then you can call Blunt."

She stood up to leave when Alex nodded in agreement. "Oh and Alex, if you want, I don't mind you staying for the rest of summer. As a, you know, vacation." And she was out the door.

Alex pondered on this for a while. Should he stay? Maybe he should… he deserved a break. But mean while… he hopped out of bed and went to the closet. He opened the doors and found it filled with the latest designer wear. He randomly took down a top and jeans and slipped into them. A perfect fit. He recognized the design of the jeans. Gap.

He needed the toilet and guessed it was through the other pair of doors he had spotted just now. He went in and found a bathroom as big as his own room in Chelsea.

The bathtub the size of a Jacuzzi took up most of the space in the bathroom. The sink and a cubical for a shower took up the rest. A few fluffy white towels sat on a rack, which was nailed to the wall. The floor was made of genuine marble.

There were different types of soap on the sink, along with a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.

He peeled off the fresh clothes and stepped into the shower for a quick bath…

--

Hailey was about to knock when a flush was heard. She waited a few moments out of politeness, before knocking.

The door opened and there stood Alex. He had obviously taken a bath and changed into fresh clothes.

"Hey," he greeted. Hailey also registered that his breath smelled faintly of mint.

"Explored the bathroom and closet, have we?" she said in a cross voice. "Those belong to my cousin, you know?"

Alex's eyes grew wide when he realized he had not even asked for permission to use the bathroom. He opened his mouth to apologize when she let out a mischievous laugh and said, "God, Alex. Relax! Everything in there was bought for you anyway."

When she caught his questioning look, she continued. "I knew you wouldn't turn down my invitation. _You_ knew Blunt would probably try to send you on another suicide mission."

"I'm that predictable?"

"Naw, not really… Woman's intuition?" She suggested with a shrug.

"Food's ready," she told him with a small smile when his stomach sounded again.

She led him to the kitchen, which was in the basement. Delicious wafts of aromas floated through the air. The chef himself, passed them their plates with a "Goda i vostri spaghetti!"

"Grazie, signore," Alex replied, with his limited Italian.

"Oh! I had forgotten you spoke a little Italian!" Hailey cried out. "Good. Now you can translate what he says to me. I have absolutely no idea what he says to me half the time. Except for stuff like, you know, pasta."

"Anyway, Alex," she asked her guest. "Do you mind if we eat with the, erm, servants? Because I always do."

Alex nodded, agreeing to that notion, but concealed a groan. Rich girls like her were bound to give her help a hard time.

--

Yet, to his surprise, she was amazingly well liked. "Hailey!" they all bellowed, when she stepped into the servant's quarters. However, there was a hush when they caught sight of Alex.

"Guys," said Hailey, in an attempt to break the ice. "This is Alex, you know, from yesterday?"

Apparently, the events from yesterday had been spread around like wildfire, because everyone warmed up to him immediately.

"Guys!" Hailey cried after a while, prying Alex out of the men's arms. "Enough talking!" Immediately, there was silence. Alex could tell everyone liked Hailey, and mainly treated her as a friend. But they still knew their place: She was the boss, and that was most important.

"Come on," she reasoned. "Food's getting cold."

The men and women then separated to two large round tables.

A few minutes into lunch, conversations broke out at the ladies table, and occasional giggles were heard. But the guys were still sullenly eating.

"Brunette, red head or blonde?" One of them asked to no one in particular.

"Blonde!" Somebody answered. Then half the guys simultaneously shouted, "DAMN!"

Alex could feel several angry glares from the ladies table, but he heard one laugh. Only one, which he recognized as Hailey's. "I _told_ you guys gambling don't do you no good!" she said in a singsong voice.

"It does for us!" Called the guys, who had not cursed out loud, in the same type of singsong voice.

"What are you guys talking about?" Alex asked the middle-aged worker sitting beside him.

"Oh," he answered, a twinkle in his eyes. "We are only talking about the gal that the head security guard, Hank, is currently dating for the week. We make bets with each other using our crummy chores! Like washing toilets. So the guys that guessed wrong have to do the crummy jobs for a week… or until Hank changes his girlfriend."

"How come Hailey and the guys are using this weird voice?"

"Oh, well, that's because a couple of months ago, Hailey figured out what we were doing and our betting system. We all thought that she would rat us out and run like a little tattletale bitch to her father. But instead she asked who had lost. We told her and she said in that little singsong voice, 'Gambling don't do you no good!'"

"But the winners answered in the same voice 'It does for us!' So from then on, it has been like a tradition… The best thing is she didn't tell her father. If she did, we would have all been jobless right now. She's a good lass."

"Oh," was all he could say.

He frowned slightly. Where was the spoilt bratty girl he had expected? Maybe he was wrong after all. Maybe she wasn't so bad…

For the rest of the meal, he ate in silence, lost in his world of thought.

When he was finished, he followed Hailey to the kitchen to send the dishes for washing. Once again, Alex was surprised when she went up to the sink and did her own plate.

"I guess I had better send you for a quick tour of the place then?" she asked him, when they stepped out of the kitchen.

"Yes, that would be much appreciated."

"'_Yes, that would be much appreciated_?'" She copied him, stopping short in the hallway. She looked up at him a little to meet his eyes, owing to the fact she was about half a head shorter that him.

"What's up with the proper accent?" she asked, with a small frown. "What kind of English boy would say that?" Alex was about to interrupt, but she quickly added. "Don't say it's the company you're in, 'cause I would never talk like that."

"Do you really want to know the truth?" Alex asked, using his normal voice now. Not the proper British accent he had donned earlier.

"What do you think, Einstein?" she said sarcastically.

He looked away, not meeting her eyes. "I expected a spoilt princess. I thought you would bully your help. I thought you would be a bitch like Fiona Friend. I thought all you'd do is sit at the phone and chat with other billionaires."

His face was set, his jaws squared. But at least now he looked into her eyes, realizing that they would shimmer every time she blinked at him; that when she wore her little confused frown, she looked so innocent and cute; that when she bit her lip he felt like bending down and… WAIT! He told himself. What was he thinking? He battled the thought in his head, but he still carried on with his little speech. "But then I come here and see that you aren't some spoilt brat. So…"

She nodded understandingly. "Ok, so know you know I am not a bitch. Relax, ok?"

He nodded and smiled. "So how about that tour?"

--

Three hours later, they were back where they started, at the kitchen for drinks. She had shown him the games room, the swimming pool, the tennis court, the badminton court, the gym, the mini theater, her room, the servants' quarters, the garden and even her own hide out in the deeper part of the garden, where even the gardener didn't go.

"_Do not tell anyone about it," she said, in a warning voice._

"_Or what?" Alex had teased back with a laugh._

"_Or… I'll post your baby pictures on the net!"_

_Alex remembered the files and was horrified. "You wouldn't!" _

"_You're right, I would never. I _am_ too nice," she grinned. _

"_I agree, you __**are**__ nice," He had said with a smile, which made her beam… for some reason that had made his heart beat wildly. _

"Coke, or sprite?" She asked him holding up the two bottles.

"Coke." He said, taking the bottle from her.

"Cool," she said, opening her sprite. "I like sprite more anyway."

Alex downed his coke, making a mental note that she liked sprite. The song, which Alex recognized as Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend", was heard from Hailey's pocket.

She took out her hand phone and answered, "Hello?"

She waited another moment, before replying, "I'll be right down." She took her mobile phone away from her ear and muttered to herself. "I _cannot _believe how stupid I am to forget the party."

"What party?" Alex asked her.

"Oh, I have this club thingy with kids my age. Around 13 to 16. All rich like me, cause my dad won't allow me to go anywhere with normal people." She rolled her eyes at this. "We meet up every month for parties. To, you know, socialize. But other than having fun, we're the people who run organizations against global warming, pollution, save the environment and all that stuff. It would surprise you, but we run most of the anonymously funded organizations. It's something we all feel strongly for. Plus its something for us to take our minds off family since our parents practically never see us."

"Wait, your dad…"

"Yes," she said with a small sigh. "No time for me at all… Anyway, the call was from my outfit designer. And she's going to design the clothes for my party. The thing is, she designs my out fit, and then she sends the designs to the other designers, which replicate it for their bosses. Or my friends." She added. "She also designs a matching outfit for the boys…" She looked Alex up and down while saying this.

"What are you thinking about?" Alex asked her, worried of what was going through her mind that involved him.

"Will you accept my invitation?" she asked, out of the blue. "It's tomorrow night."

"Do I have a choice?" he asked.

"Lols… You could decline if you wanted, I wouldn't hold it against you." she said.

"But I still am anyway." he replied. What harm could a party bring?

"Good," she said briskly. "You are going to be my male model."

Alex sprayed the contents in his mouth all over the corridor wall. "_What_?"

"You see, Sherry, my designer, is _always_ asking for a male model to try the outfits on. I reckon she'll be pleased to have a cute one like you. Even if it _is_ for once."

Alex, for _some_ reason, was a little pleased when he realized she thought he was cute. But that didn't over come his shock. I take that "_what harm could a party bring_" line back, he thought to himself.

When Alex didn't object after a moment – only because he was too shocked - Hailey heaved a sigh of relief and said "Thanks Alex, silence means consent, right?" Then, she took out her hand phone from her pocket again, and with amazing agility, her fingers moved over the numbers.

"Hello?" She inquired.

The person on the other end replied with a loud voice, forcing Hailey to move the phone a foot away from her ear. But from where he stood, Alex could only hear muffles.

"Sherry!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I got you a boy that can model your clothes for you! Yes… Yes… NO! He will not model naked for you… yes, yes. Bye."

Alex almost sprayed the contents of his mouth all over the wall again when he realized he had come close to modeling naked, but he managed to keep his mouth shut. Though the effects were worse. The coke, unable to escape through his mouth, flowed out from his nose. Hailey saw him and leapt into action.

"Spit it out, like, NOW." She frantically ordered.

Alex did as he was told and a mouthful of coke poured out of his mouth and onto the floor like a waterfall… a gassy waterfall.

Eventually, the coke ran out and Alex, unable to breathe through out this terrible ordeal, gulped down lungful of air. But, at the same time choking on his own spit. After several minutes of coughing and spluttering, and with Hailey hitting his back, he stopped coughing. His nose and eyes were running- this time with mucus and tears- and his throat was burning. He turned away from her; wiping his face with is shirt quickly.

"Are you okay?" She asked, shocked.

"Yes," he said turning to her, answering in a barely audile croak.

He realized he must really look like shit when she gasped. "No, you aren't" She said answering her own question. She took out her phone again and arranged for Sherry to come the next day, but settled for a nighttime visit later that day. Then, she pulled out her walkie-talkie. "I need a clean crew stat. West corridor, first floor."

When she placed it back into her pocket she looked up at Alex. "Dude," she mused. "You have a down right nasty habit of spraying instead of saying.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex sighed contentedly and leant back into the soft cushioned velvet chair of the mini theater. Hailey was sitting beside him and munching on popcorn, every now and then passing him the box. He took a deep breath the smell of her sweet conditioner mixed with the scents of the buttery popcorn fill his senses.

It had been Hailey's genius idea for a mega-movie marathon. She knew he would be blushing around her for a while, so she suggested they went somewhere dark.

A switch was flicked, and darkness engulfed them. The opening credits started to roll, but instead of the familiar English, Korean or Japanese was shown instead.

"The show's in Korean, but there are subtitles," she explained. **(A.N. 200 Pounds Beauty)**

They laughed through the first few comical scenes, but sobered once the heart braking once appeared.

Alex heard a sniff beside him. "Are you crying?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes," came a whiny reply.

Alex reached out and found her hand. He squeezed it lightly and she leaned on his shoulder.

"Thanks" was all she said, in a voice that told Alex she was obviously blushing.

After 200 Pounds Beauty, they saw the new Harry Potter movie, then Bring It On 3, White Chicks, X- Men 3 and A Cinderella story, which moved Hailey to tears once more.

Hailey stood up after the lights were switched on and yawn. Alex followed suit.

"Man," she said with a giggle. "Do you know how much popcorn we ate?"

"No." He replied rather groggily. It was really late, and he longed for the wonderfully soft bed…

Hailey asked for the time and Alex told her. "Shit! Sherry!" Her heavy eyes shot open.

"It's ok," Alex assured her, sauntering over to her. He cupped his right hand under her chin and said, "you're a billionaire, I bet a million designers would kill to design your clothes."

"Yes," she replied impatiently. "But the party is tomorrow. There's no time. And Sherry probably will never work for me again."

To this, Alex had no answer.

Hailey pondered over this for a while, then she took out her walkie-talkie again. "Take out box walker, casual wear_, now_." She barked, before slipping it back into her pocket.

"Box walker?"

"Yes," Hailey replied, now walking briskly out the door. "Daddy has many business partners that simply flaunt over me. They send me gifts every other day. Jewels, clothes, shoes, you know, the works. I have way too many of them, so I store them in boxes classified according to their names. I would have given them all away, but daddy forbids me to, disrespectful, he says. Anyways, Walker was daddy's latest business partner, the clothes he sent were lovely, and actually fit me. I only wore one set of the clothes before, at dinner with him… That should have the girls outfit settled, but I am still not sure about the boys…"

At this, she stopped in front of a pair of double doors. She threw them open and hastened inside.

They were greeted by rows and rows of boxes stacked high. So high, that they almost reached the three story high ceiling.

But Hailey ignored all of them, and continued walking forwards. While Alex followed, marveling at the size of the room, and the number of boxes filling it.

They reached another double doors and Hailey threw them open once more.

They walked into a room with a similar size of Alex's bedroom in Chelsea. The room was thickly carpeted and had no windows. There was an armchair in one corner of the room, while a two-meter high mirror was in another. There was also a drawn back curtain in one side.

Hailey motioned at Alex to sit down while she virtually dove into the box that lay in the center of the room. Alex complied and soon his head rolled side-ways, as he entered dreamland.

--

"Alex, wake up."

Alex opened his eyes and stared up into Hailey's, mortified. Had he been snoring? It was a nasty habit of his since childhood.

But one look at her, and all sleepiness fell from him like a scarf to the floor.

Hailey was wearing a skin-tight, off shouldered black top. It framed her gorgeous collarbone and shoulders. She had also donned a wavy, black mini skirt.

Alex could not help but stare at her legs. She didn't have the slender legs of a model, but they weren't fat either, in fact, they were fairly muscular. On any other girl, they would have looked out of place, but on Hailey, they were perfect.

"What do you think?"

"Perfect." He managed to croak. The clothes should have looked boring, but she brought out the life in it.

Hailey quickly changed and rushed out of the room again.

"Where to now?"

"Michael's" She replied. Then explained that Michael was one of the younger servants.

She stopped in front of a light blue door and knocked softly. After a few moments she became more impatient and started banging on the door. She had to "rap" on it several more times before a groggy voice said, " fuck off!"

"It's me, you idiot!"

"You damn bitch, its like three .M!" But Alex heard hints of amusement in that answer.

The door opened to a sixteen year old blonde. His floppy blonde hair hung over his incredibly blue eyes. He had on only a pair of track pants. He had a well-defined six-pack and when he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, they flexed to an incredible size.

But Hailey walked in with out hesitating.

Flopping onto his bed, he asked her, "You realize what time it is? What happened to those courtesy slash etiquette classes your dad made you take???"

"Its an emergency Mike."

"Seriously, I know I am cute. But night time visits by my admirers take things to a whole new level…"

"God, Michael, get over yourself. I am in kind of a tight spot and need your help."

"You got pregnant?"

"You wish! Actually, it is like this…" and Hailey explained her situation.

"So you need guy clothes?"

"Yes," she replied with, with a hint of pleading.

"Hold on."

Alex had watched the scene with an eyebrow raised from the part where Michael had swore at Hailey. He had chosen to remain standing despite his growing tiredness.

Soon, Michael reappeared with a crumpled formal button up top along with a large pair of cargo pants. Hailey gave him a nod of approval, and then snapped a few pictures of them. "Be right back!" She called as she walked out the door.

"So," Michael acknowledged Alex for the time. "You're the guy Hailey found in the sea."

Alex gave a quick, sharp nod.

"You two are… friends, right?"

Again, Alex gave his non-verbal answer.

"Dude, apology in advance." Said Michael in a regrettable tone, before trying to deliver a hard blow on Alex's abdomen. But Alex was too quick for him. He brought his arms up, blocking the other blows as well.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You are Hailey's friend. Prove yourself."

Alex rolled his eyes and dropped his hands, allowing Michael to hit him on the stomach. Admittedly, he was a little winded. But he was still able to bring his Nike clad foot round and pin Michael against the wall by his neck.

"Do I pass?"

"With flying colors," Michael replied, panting slightly.

"Do all of Hailey's friends have to go through that?" Alex asked, curious.

"Naw, just the special ones."

"_**I **_am a special one?"

"Yes, a _very _special one."

"How come?"

"Oh," Michael replied in an infuriatingly mysterious way. "You will find out in a weeks time."

Just as Alex was about to question him again, Hailey appeared in the doorway. "Everything is settled guys," She said zombily, obviously worn out. "Go to sleep." She said, before slamming the door shut behind her, off to a well earned slumber in her room.

--

Alex pried his eyes open and was instantly awake. He turned his head to look at the bedside table and searched for the digital clock… 7 A.M?! Damn his internal clock to be set for school mornings. He moaned softly and pulled himself out of bed. He then made his way to the bathroom, yawning and shuffling his feet all the way.

When he looked up from the sink and into the mirror, he was a little startled. He was staring at his reflection. Nothing drastic had happened over night, but his eyes… they looked as though they were younger.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Must be the sleep, he told himself.

He then peeled off the track pants he had found in the cupboard the night before. After stepping into the bathtub, he turned the water on full blast. He grabbed a random bottle of soap and emptied it's contents into the already half filled tub. After the bathtub was three quarters full, Alex turned off the tap, and submerged himself into the warm, relaxing water…

After the water had lost most of it's warmth, Alex got out of the tub and into the shower, rinsing off all of the soapsuds. He toweled himself dry, before pulling the plug of the tub, draining its contents. He opened the door to the room, simultaneously throwing his towel and track pants into the basket that said "For Washing". He quickly threw on some clothes, and then glanced at the clock once more. 8.30A.M, should he sneak around?

Making up his mind, he opened the double doors and cautiously stuck his head out. The coast was clear. Slipping out of his room, he wondered why he was being so discreet.

Maybe it was Hailey, with her all too good attitude. Or the fact that the last time he had come to in a luxurious room, some freaking Russian lunatic had tried to adopt him. Either that or his spying instincts were taking control of him. He shuddered at the high possibility of the former reason.

Cautiously venturing forward, Alex studied his surroundings. He had to admit, the place made General Sarov's place look like a cheap motel. The entire floor was carpeted and he saw a few paintings that looked suspiciously like missing Van Gogh pieces.

After an hour, when he had not found a single shred of evidence that Gardin was not planning some sort of massacre, he made his way down to the servants' quarters.

"Rosalind," he said, tapping her on the shoulder.

She turned, startled, to face him, and inquired the reason he was there.

"I need to know where is Hailey's room…"

"Miss Hailey's room is just down two floors. Turn left when you see a life-sized statue of a rocking horse. Her room is right at the end of the corridor."

Alex hastily thanked her, memorizing the directions. Before long, he was walking along the corridor that Rosalind had mentioned. When he reached the end, a single, plain door greeted him. He almost doubled back; doubting the girl he was looking for was there. But he was sure he had taken the correct route. He gingerly knocked on the door. No one answered. He was about to turn away, when he heard soft snoring from inside the room. He hesitated, and then quietly turned the doorknob. He walked in, immediately spotting Hailey.

A pillow was tucked under her head, and she was hugging a boaster. A floral patterned comforter was tucked under her chin. The rest of the space of the room was taken up by her simple study desk, swivel chair and simply designed, but large, closet.

Alex was surprised. Even Michael's room had looked better than this. He made sure she was sound asleep, before going through her desk drawer. In the first one, she had several Teens and Teenage magazines. They all featured several bands and some other artistes; Alex assumed they must be her favorite singers.

In the second, he only found a stack of cards.

In the third, he found a journal, some Chinese paper fans, quite a few Neoprints and five pairs of ladies sunglasses. He took the journal out, in hope of digging out some secrets. But to his dismay, it was empty. He opened the door, wincing when it creaked. And studied her clothes. She, as he had expected, had so many branded goods, she had organized them by brand. There was a wide array of Nike, Billabong, Gucci, Prada and several others which names were so complicated he had no idea how to pronounce them. Below her clothes were a good number of Nike, Adidas, Billabong, Prada, Guess and Crumpler bags.

Alex winced again when the doors swung shut with a bang. He quickly turned towards her bed and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her leaning against the wall, calmly observing him. The comforter was covering her legs, so Alex could only see she was wearing an oversized black Hard Rock top. She had obviously smoothed down her hair.

"If you're looking for anything sick and perverted," she said with a small smile. "I keep them in a safe in my bathroom in case sneaky guys like you decide to come snooping around my room."

"I-I" He sputtered. Oh God, he thought, how the hell did I get myself into this mess?

As if reading his thoughts, Hailey explained that when the doors creaked open the first time, the bed vibrated, waking her up. Her explanation was followed by several minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"So!" He said, unable to stand it any longer, "I'll look you up in an hour?"

"Set," she agreed.

--

True to his word, Alex arrived exactly in an hour. He knocked on her door hard, and made sure he heard a distinctive "Come in!" before he entered.

Hailey had on a plain white top and a red skirt. But she still wasn't ready; she was still in the bathroom, brushing her hair.

"What is on the agenda for today " Alex asked flopping down onto her bed, knowing she would not mind.

"Do not know yet. But what I do know, " she added, coming out of the bathroom to face him. " Is that you had better call Jack and MI6 soon. You were supposed to do so yesterday_. Remember_?"

Alex slapped his forehead, damn! How could he be so idiotic? Jack would be so worried.

"Do you want to call alone, or with me?"

"Alone would be nice," Alex admitted. Not taking any offence, Hailey passed her mobile phone to him. She assured him it wasn't bugged, and then he left the room.

He called Jack first. The phone rang several times before a thick voice answered.

"Hello?" It said.

"Jack?" Alex asked. "Is that you? You sound like shit!"

"Al-Al-Alex?" She asked, unable to believe her ears.

"Yes, it is me. What happened to you?"

"What happened to me?" She bellowed. "I will tell you what happened. The teenager I had been looking after for seven, SEVEN years went on some lunatic mission without a word about it to me! Then that fucking agency that sent him on it called and told me you had been launched into space. Then, they say they lost track of you once you fell into the sea, because the asshole of a company, Scorpia, decided to sabotage their satellites just then. So I have no way of knowing whether or not. He. Is. ALIVE! So I, being the freaking loser that I am, cried my eyes out, and have not been able to sleep since!" She concluded.

"Urm," Alex said. Jack never swore. Never. Ever. Period. He wanted to console her, but what came out instead was "It is morning here."

"Well, it is damn right night here."

"Are you not going to ask about me?" Alex asked weakly. He had to admit, it was good to hear her voice, even though she was swearing at him.

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

So Alex did… minus the coke part.

"So you have been celebrating, while I have been overwhelmed with worry?"

"Sort of."

Suddenly, all built up anger dissipated. "Fine. Lord knows you deserve this break. Remember to call me!" On that note, they hung up.

Then, Alex called the "Royal and General" bank. He spoke with Blunt for a while, and then hung up.

He re-entered the room. "So, what are we doing again?"

Hailey looked up ate him from her magazine and smiled. "Wow, a talk with Jack does wonders for you."

"Ya, it does." He agreed, grinning at her. Hailey's eyebrows shot up, and then returned to their original positions.

"What is wrong?" He asked, noticing her expression.

"Nothing," she replied, but even to her, her own voice sounded to high pitch.

"Okay," he decided to let the matter drop. She obviously was not going to tell him.

"What are we doing today?" Alex asked for the THIRD time.

"Depends, what do you want to do?"

"What ever you are doing," he replied without missing a beat.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny. We could go to the town nearby." She offered.

"Settled."

They made their way to the main entrance and waited for the car in the sweltering heat. Finally, it arrived. But by then, Hailey and Alex and sweating profusely.

"Where to?" Asked the driver, Kyle.

"Town."

There was a blue-stripped Crumpler in the middle seat. Hailey picked it up and went through it. There were several packets of tissue, her cell phone. Two pairs of sunglasses, two caps and a wad of fifty-dollar notes. Hailey counted them and seemed satisfied.

"Are we spending all of that?" Asked Alex, appalled.

"No, most go to street beggars."

"Oh," of course, he told himself.

While Alex was wondering how Hailey could get more perfect, the person of his thoughts was thinking about him… and the killer grin he had given her. It was so adorable! But yet dark and mysterious. She let out a happy sigh.

"What?" Alex asked, hearing her.

"Nothing," she replied, blushing.


End file.
